Read more about the article Counties Get Millions for Emergency Preparedness, Counterterrorism Efforts
Emergency Management / NACo and Federal Issues / Public Safety and Corrections
Counties Get Millions for Emergency Preparedness, Counterterrorism Efforts

The Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM) has distributed more than $10.87 million to help counties defend against terrorist attacks. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued the award in May, and MDEM recently announced its distribution to partners in Maryland. “The safety of Maryland and the protection of our residents is a top priority for MDEM, and federal funding is vital to help our state and its local jurisdictions to remain prepared against…

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October 31, 2022
Read more about the article Public Service Offers Path to Solve Student Debt and Worker Shortages
Agriculture / County News / Economic Development / Education / Emergency Management / Energy / Environment / Health and Human Services / Higher Education / Housing and Community Development / Human Resources / Information Technology / Intergovernmental Relations / Leadership / Parks and Recreation / Planning and Zoning / Transportation and Public Works
Public Service Offers Path to Solve Student Debt and Worker Shortages

An expanded student loan forgiveness program can open the door to solving the student debt crisis and a shortage of public sector workers.   America faces two significant problems: a substantial balance of student debt, and a drastic shortage of workers in many public sector jobs. While these two issues appear unrelated, they may, in fact, lead to each other's solution.  The Current State of Affairs   President Biden's recent move to forgive up to $20,000 per borrower…

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October 26, 2022
Read more about the article Baltimore City Firefighters Begin Marking Unsafe Vacant Properties
County News / Emergency Management / Health and Human Services / Housing and Community Development / Risk Management
Baltimore City Firefighters Begin Marking Unsafe Vacant Properties

The Baltimore City Fire Department will now help first responders identify unsafe vacant homes, buildings, or structures with a red, reflective diamond.  The Unsafe Vacant Marking initiative comes months after a vacant house fire on the 200 block of S. Stricker St. claimed the lives of three firefighters and left one critically injured. "The manner in which our fallen firefighters lost their lives has severely affected the members of this department - and quite frankly…

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October 25, 2022
Read more about the article Maryland Mesonet Aims to Bolster State and Local Critical Infrastructure, Preparedness
Emergency Management / Intergovernmental Relations
Maryland Mesonet Aims to Bolster State and Local Critical Infrastructure, Preparedness

Partnership Between State of Maryland and University of Maryland Will Build World-Class Atmospheric System of Weather-Observing Towers to Provide Real-Time Monitoring to Improve Responses to Weather-Related Disasters Governor Larry Hogan announced a groundbreaking partnership between the State of Maryland and the University of Maryland to build and operate the Maryland Mesonet, a state-of-the-art network of 75 weather-observing towers across the state that will provide real-time community-level monitoring and improve situational awareness during rapidly changing weather…

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October 24, 2022
Read more about the article FEMA: If You Live Near Water Buy Flood Insurance
Emergency Management / Environment
FEMA: If You Live Near Water Buy Flood Insurance

In a recent interview, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell urged homeowners near water to buy flood insurance.  As climate change worsens, it is almost a guarantee that instances and severity of flooding will only get worse. This is incredibly important for residents of a state like Maryland whose most defining feature is a massive body of water. In an interview of the weekend, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell cited this reality and urged homeowners near water to…

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October 24, 2022
Read more about the article New York’s Compounded Health Crisis Echoes in Maryland
County News / Emergency Management / Health and Human Services
New York’s Compounded Health Crisis Echoes in Maryland

POLITICO article highlights crisis overlap pushing already strained public health resources to the brink, but it's nothing new. Local health departments across the country have faced challenges brought on by the omicron variant late in 2021 and the appearance of monkeypox in more recent months. In New York, the re-emergence of polio on the heels of the previous issues has appeared to compound an already crisis-level situation. This matrix of threats has shed even more…

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October 19, 2022
Read more about the article NBC’s TODAY Highlights Pregnant Baltimore County Firefighter’s Selfless Rescue
County News / Emergency Management
NBC’s TODAY Highlights Pregnant Baltimore County Firefighter’s Selfless Rescue

Nine-months pregnant firefighter Megan Warfield sprang into action when involved in a mutli-vehicle crash to rescue a person trapped inside their flipped car. NBC's TODAY highlighted Megan's daring story of selfless action. Earlier this month, Bowleys Quarters Volunteer Fire Department member and Baltimore County Fire Department career firefighter, Megan Warfield was involved in a multi-vehicle car crash which resulted in an overturned vehicle in the roadway. Without hesitation, though nine months pregnant, Megan immediately left…

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October 17, 2022
Read more about the article FCC Improves Emergency Alert System Messages
County News / Emergency Management / News You Can Use
FCC Improves Emergency Alert System Messages

TV and Radio Alerts Will Be Clearer and More Accessible to the Public. The Federal Communications Commission is updating its Emergency Alert System rules to ensure delivered over television and radio are more informative and easier to understand by the public, particularly people with disabilities. The Emergency Alert System, which government agencies use to send alerts and warnings to the public over television and radio, is made up of both a legacy system and an…

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October 4, 2022
Read more about the article The Opioid Settlements: What is Opioid Remediation?
County Budgets / County News / Emergency Management / Government Liability and Courts / Health and Human Services / Housing and Community Development / NACo and Federal Issues
The Opioid Settlements: What is Opioid Remediation?

Through several opioid-related settlements, Maryland is set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars for "opioid remediation" - raising questions about what this term means and how this money is best spent. When nearly all of Maryland's counties signed on to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) concerning how settlement funds will be distributed, they agreed to conditions governing how those funds would be expended. Specifically, a qualifying county may spend its allocation toward "any [prospective] use…

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September 30, 2022
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